What’s in a name? The most popular dog and cat names revealed

Posted on 20 February, 2017

Naming a new pet is exciting for the whole family and it can take some time to get it just right to ensure it suits the character of your pet. For dogs especially it’s important to choose a name that’s short and can be easily understood by the dog – this will not only help with their recall, but ensure you won’t feel silly shouting their name across the park.

For those struggling to think of a name, help is on hand from the RSPCA[i] who recently revealed its top dogs and cats names in the UK in 2016.

The top three most popular names for male dogs are Ben or Benjamin, Max and Alfie and for females, Poppy, Daisy and Maisie. For male cats it’s Bob, Charlie and Smokey, and for females Bella, Molly and Jess.

Lisa Richards, RSPCA Animal Welfare Expert said, “Bob could be popular among cat owners due to the popularity of the book and film, A Street Cat Called Bob, while dog names such as Alfie have surged in popularity not just among pet owners but also parents.

But there are some important things to think about when choosing a name for your pet such as keeping names short, avoiding any that sound like a behaviour you will want your dog to do or are similar to the names of anyone else in the home.”

The full list of the top ten names is:

Dogs

Ben/Benjamin

Max

Poppy

Alf/Alfie

Charlie

Sam/Sammy

Rex

Bob/Bobby

Daisy

Jack

Cats

Bob

Bella

Charlie

Molly

Jess/Jessie

Poppy

Smokey

Felix

Sam/Sammy

Thomas

Our homesitters have looked after thousands of pets across the UK and it’s fair to say, that as well as more traditional names, we’ve also come across some more unusual names. We’d love to hear what your pet (s) is called!